Linda, I know what you mean about your preferences changing! I recently read a Jude Deveraux romance and know I would have loved it when I was a teenager, but now...I gave it one star.

My most recent 5 star read is The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton. I highly recommend this one!

Some of my most recent books I gave 5 stars are:

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

I have read some Jude D books in the past but probably wouldn't pick them up now...although I do have a few Nora Roberts on my to read list. Sometimes I need something a little lighter. At the moment, I can't put Water for Elephants down! I put
The Forgotten Garden on my to do list! Sounds very interesting from the summary I read. Thanks for your suggestion.

My most recent 5 star would be Jonathan Safran Foer's Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. Love that book!

My most recent 5 star reads are:

Evermore and Revenge of the Witch.

My most recent 5 star read was The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood. It was my first Atwood book and it won't be my last.

I gave The Host 5 stars. I was so much better than i expected!

Heather wrote: "My most recent 5 star read was The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood. It was my first Atwood book and it won't be my last. "

Yay, another Blind Assassin lover! That was the first book my face-to-face book club read (about 6 years ago now). Most everyone disliked the book, one person thought it was alright, but I loved it. (I'm called The Blind Assassin apologist now.) It, too, was my first Atwood novel. I didn't really know what to expect, and based on the summary, it seemed like something that I wouldn't particularly care for. But I was riveted, and couldn't put it down. Glad you enjoyed it, too!

Heather wrote: "My most recent 5 star read was The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood. It was my first Atwood book and it won't be my last. "
I would read The Handmaid's Tale. It's very good!

This is an interesting thread. I just joined GR a couple of weeks ago and had originally mainly been using it for a giant book list of what books I have read throughout my life so that I can recommend things to various friends.

Then I found this group and the challenges and am so excited about the book club aspect (I have never been in one despite reading constantly) and the challenges look like so much fun.

Anyway, I decided to go look at what books I had rated 5-star and ended up reducing a lot of them to 4 star. I ended up with 74 5-star books (out of 2333 read books).

My most recent would be Graceling but my ultimate 5-star books are those from when I was a kid, From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs Basil E. Frankweiler and Libby on Wednesday.

Recent books I gave 5 stars to were:

- The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (enjoyable from start to finish)
- The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien (very insightful read)

Two recent books I have given 5 stars to are...
SHANGHAI GIRLS and SHUTTER ISLAND!!

Li wrote: "Recent books I gave 5 stars to were:

- The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (enjoyable from start to finish)
- The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien (very insightfu..."

The one by Tolkien I would like to read! Every book that says "Tolkien" I just have to. :-) I think I'll buy it

Jo wrote: "I gave The Host 5 stars. I was so much better than i expected! "

So true! I loved it too. I thought it was so much better than Twilight. Hopefully Stephenie Meyer will write a sequel. =)

I heard that its going to be a trilogy. Exciting! :)

Linda wrote: "Just beginning Water for Elephants and love the writing style of this author. I recently finished The Thirteenth Tale and thought it was EXCELLENT! What an original and gripping plot with unforget..."

I just gave Five stars to Water for Elephants. It was great! I also just gave 5 stars to Shadows in the Asylum The Case Files of Dr. Charles Marsh by D.A. Stern. It was so creepy and I loved the unusual way it was set up. It's set up like a doctor's case files with journal excerpts, clippings and such. It makes it seem very real.

Shadows sound very good! I like a little mystery!
Thanks for the recommendation.

Read Water for Elephants and loved the story and the way author wrote it. Our liittle book club in Alma, Wisconsin just finished The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and everyone enjoyed it. We had a very enjoyable discussion.

Olive Kitteridge, Sad but absolutely beautiful.

Maureen wrote: Yay, another Blind Assassin lover! That was the first book my face-to-face book club read (about 6 years ago now). Most everyone disliked the book, one person thought it was alright, but I loved it. (I'm called The Blind Assassin apologist now.) It, too, was my first Atwood novel. I didn't really know what to expect, and based on the summary, it seemed like something that I wouldn't particularly care for. But I was riveted, and couldn't put it down. Glad you enjoyed it, too!

Maureen, I can't believe you were the only one in your group who loved it! I read it along with two other GR friends and we all ended up giving it 5 stars. Like you, I had absolutely no idea what to expect with it and was so pleasantly surprised I ended up loving it like I did! Have you read any of her other books? I have Alias Grace and The Handmaid's Tale and am really looking forward to reading them. I hope I enjoy them as much as BA!

Liz wrote: "Heather wrote: "My most recent 5 star read was The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood. It was my first Atwood book and it won't be my last. "
I would read The Handmaid's Tale. It's very..."

Thanks for the recommendation, Liz! I went out and bought Handmaid's Tale after I finished Blind Assassin ;)

Heather wrote: "Maureen wrote: Yay, another Blind Assassin lover! That was the first book my face-to-face book club read (about 6 years ago now). Most everyone disliked the book, one person thought it was alright,..."

I've yet to read another Atwood, but I think I'm shooting for The Handmaid's Tale as my next one.

Pat Conroy's South of Broad.